Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Matt Sayles, Matt Sayles)
Self-declared environmentalists Prince Harry and Meghan Markle once again used a private jet to travel to an event at which the attention of the world will be on them.
This time, they flew from California to New York City in a private jet, and were “all smiles” as they stepped off the plane Monday and were greeted by a group of friends on the tarmac, Page Six reported. But being labeled eco-hypocrites again for using a pollution-spewing private jet may be the least of their concerns.
The Montecito-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in the midst of what could be their most damaging attack yet on the institution of the British monarchy, though their hotly anticipated Netflix documentary also faces growing scrutiny over its alleged misleading use of archival photos to present their grievances.
The exiled royals are in New York City to accept an award Tuesday from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation for taking a “heroic” stand against “structural racism” in the monarchy. Their six-part docuseries, “Harry and Meghan,” also begins airing Thursday. Two teasers released over the past week promise that it will portray Harry’s estranged relatives as part of a racist institution that “leaked” and “planted” negative stories about him and his biracial American wife, with Harry saying it was all part of a “dirty game.”
Clips also have Harry, Meghan and their supporters saying that the couple’s departure from royal life was “about hatred … about race” by both the monarchy and a biased and intrusive U.K. media. Harry and others also are quoted as saying “there was a war against Meghan to suit other people’s agendas” and that there’s “pain and suffering” for women marrying into the royal family.
The trailer suggests that the six-part series will equate Meghan’s suffering to that of the late Princess Diana and may implicate Harry’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton in the “war” against his wife.
The release of the Netflix documentary and the Kennedy award ceremony comes in the week after the royal family worked to salvage Prince William and Kate’s consequential trip to Boston to present a prestigious environmental prize, while the U.K royal family was dealing with another racism scandal back home in the U.K. A longtime royal aide to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who had recently joined King Charles III household and was William’s godmother, resigned her position after she was reported to have grilled a Black British guest at a Buckingham Palace reception about her racial heritage and where she was “really” from.
This situation with 83-year-old Lady Susan Hussey was not directly related to Harry and Meghan’s racism allegations but it supported the narrative, pushed by them and others, that the monarchy has yet to shake centuries-long attitudes of racism and colonialism. The revelation that race will be a topic in Harry and Meghan’s docuseries also helped steal attention away from William and Kate’s first trip to the U.S. in eight years.
Headlines also have focused on the ever-growing hostilities between the Sussexes and the royal family and questions about whether Charles or William will respond to any claims the couple make in the documentary about being mistreated.
In this battle right now, William scored at least one point in his favor. He and Kate Middlleton flew to Boston on a commercial British Airways jet. The Prince and Princess of Wales earned praise for choosing the more eco-friendly mode of transport for traveling to the U.S. to present William’s annual Earthshot Prize. It was said that the Wales provided a contrast to Harry and Meghan, who have become known for their preference for traveling on private planes.
The Wales scored more PR points by being seen moving through the first-class cabin of their flight, chatting with other passengers and explaining why they were coming to Boston. One person on the plane said the couple were “utterly delightful.”
Meanwhile, coverage about the ethics of Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary could also work in the royal family’s favor. The stories have analyzed its trailers’ strategy for presenting Harry and Meghan’s complaints. Specifically, the Hollywood trade publication, Deadline, and outlets in the U.K. have picked apart ways that the trailers have used archival footage and photos in misleading ways.
Veteran U.K. royal correspondent Jennie Bond slammed the “extremely sloppy production values” of the documentary, and ITV journalist Lorraine Kelly described the use of certain images and footage as “bizarre,” Deadline reported.
Veteran royal commentator Robert Jobson also called an overhead camera shot of the couple, which was supposed to illustrate press intrusion, a “complete travesty.” He pointed out that the shot was taken from an accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu’s residence in Cape Town with only three journalists allowed in.
This photograph used by @Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty. It was taken from a accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu’s residence in Cape Town. Only 3 people were in the accredited position. H & M agreed the position. I was there. pic.twitter.com/nvjznlloLF
— Robert Jobson (@theroyaleditor) December 5, 2022
Analysis of several other images has found that they were were taken from places completely unconnected to Meghan and Harry. One image, showing hundreds of paparazzi with their cameras aimed at an unknown subject, appeared as Harry is heard declaring, “I had to do everything I could to protect my family.” The BBC and The Sun found that the image was taken at the 2011 premiere for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 premiere,” Deadline said.
Another image, which appears when Harry speaks about the “pain and suffering of women” marrying into the royal family, actually came from a clip of model Katie Price arriving at a court in London last December, Deadline said. A third, used to illustrate a media crush, actually shows footage of Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen being hounded by paparazzi.
Deadline said it had reached out to Netflix and to Harry and Meghan’s production company, Archewell Productions, but has yet to hear back.
Originally published at Martha Ross